Stanford, Calif. - On Monday, Stanford University Athletics officials announced participation plans for the upcoming Nov. 2 day of civic engagement. Cardinal athletic programs are aiming for full participation in the #AllVoteNoPlay Playbook, which was designed by Lisa Kay Solomon, a lecturer in Stanford's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school).
On Sept. 17, 2020 the NCAA's D1 Council unanimously approved legislation proposed by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee requiring that athletic departments give student-athletes election day off from athletic activities. The legislation is intended to increase opportunities for student-athletes to participate in civic engagement."
"Giving student-athletes the ability to take their natural leadership capabilities and use it to engage with their community is incredibly valuable," Sam Beskind, a Stanford men's basketball student-athlete who worked with Solomon to develop the Playbook, said. "Any amount of learning or engaging is a step in the right direction, and, collectively, the impact will be immense."
In hopes of turning a day off from athletics into a day on for civic engagement, Solomon, Designer in Residence at Stanford's d.school, along with VoteByDesign and a team of coaches, student-athletes and community partners from across the country, created the #AllVoteNoPlay Playbook, a non-partisan guide of "civic drills" to create opportunities for civic engagement. Stanford Athletics will be using the Playbook across all of their athletic programs on Nov. 2.
"The past few years have brought forth important dialogue about voting and civic engagement, but it is critical that, in addition to this discussion, we implement action plans to ensure that we are translating momentum into progress," Bernard Muir, Stanford's Jaquish and Kenninger Director of Athletics said. "From the day #AllVoteNoPlay was unanimously adopted by the D1 Council, we have been 100-percent behind the legislation, and behind plans to build civic engagement in all of our teams. We are excited to be using the #AllVoteNoPlay Playbook as our civic engagement resource on Nov. 2."
The #AllVoteNoPlay Playbook has been adopted or affirmed by several college athletics organizations including the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the D1 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
About the #AllVoteNoPlay Playbook:
In 2020, the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) voted unanimously to turn the first Tuesday in November to a day dedicated to civic engagement.
This Vote by Design nonpartisan guide provides coaches with a list of "civic drills" to help all athletes flex and grow their civic mindsets, behaviors, and habits. Designed by coaches and informed by research and a diverse coalition of civic partners, this guide aims to make it easy for all coaches – regardless of sport, geography, type of school, or position – to use this day "off" from playing as a day "on" for helping student athletes be more successful leaders and community builders.